Excluded

Sometimes those who clamor the most for social justice can also enact injustices themselves. (As the saying goes: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”) Julia Serano—a self-described “bisexual femme-tomboy transsexual woman”—explores how this phenomenon occurs in the context of feminist and queer activism with regard to those within the movement who are often “excluded” (e.g. transgender, bisexual, sex workers, etc.), and what can be done to rectify or at least minimize the problem. Serano discusses her participation in Camp Trans—the annual protest of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival’s “womyn-born womyn” policy (which excludes trans women from attending)—and she explains how unfiltered accusations in queer and feminist communities often bite the hand that feeds. Serano has created an amazing and uplifting formula based on embracing holistic ideas about gender and sexuality, recognizing and challenging double standards, and the sociological theory of “marked” versus “unmarked” people, with the aim of fostering more inclusive communities. She has a knack for explaining complex ideas in a simple-to-understand way, with an emphasis on finding specific resolutions to problems.